Russia’s Abandoned Children

Voice 1:Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight program. I’m Rebekah Schipper.

Voice 2:And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1:Tanya is a three and a half year old girl. She has never played with another child. She has only been outside one or two times in her whole life.

Voice 2:Masha is six [6]. She is quiet, but kind. She has light blond hair and big blue eyes.

Voice 1:Dima is a very shy and quiet five [5] year old. He and his little brother spent three [3] years alone in a hospital.

Voice 2:These children all have something in common. Yes - they are all Russian. Yes - they are all very young. But there is also something very sad that brings them together. All these children were abandoned by their mothers. The mothers of these children were all HIV positive. They carried the virus that causes AIDS. And they left their children at the hospital, after their children were born. The mothers thought their children might also carry HIV. These children continue to suffer because of a country-wide fear of HIV and AIDS. Today’s Spotlight is on this problem.

Voice 1:HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. People can receive treatment for AIDS. But there is no cure for it. In Russia, experts recorded the first case of HIV in 1987. At first, Russia seemed almost unaffected by AIDS. But experts say that cases soon increased at a huge rate. It became an epidemic.

Voice 2:Experts estimate that today about one [1] percent of the Russian population lives with HIV. But they believe that the numbers could be much higher. The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, works for children’s rights, survival, development, and protection. They say that Russia has one [1] of the fastest growing AIDS epidemics in the world. One hundred [100] people there become infected with HIV every day. And UNICEF says that the number of women living with HIV has more than doubled in the past few years. This is especially frightening.

Voice 1:During birth, an HIV positive mother can pass the virus on to her baby. However, this does not happen in the majority of cases. Without prevention services, HIV positive mothers pass on the virus thirty-five [35] percent of the time. And with prevention services, the number is much lower. But many women do not know this.

Voice 2:Every day in Russia about twenty [20] HIV positive women give birth. Of these twenty [20] new babies, on average two [2] will be abandoned by their mothers. Their mothers will leave them at the hospital.

Voice 1:Experts say the fear of HIV is very great in Russia. The mothers may leave their babies because they feel too much shame. Or some may not feel able to care for their babies. They may be afraid of having a sick baby. There is very little support in Russia for AIDS sufferers.

Voice 2:So what happens to these abandoned babies? Normally, an orphanage would care for them. Orphanages are homes for babies and children without parents. But orphanages often refuse to care for babies who may be HIV positive. So, abandoned babies stay at the hospital.

Voice 1:It takes the Russian government eighteen [18] months to officially say if a baby is HIV positive or not. If a baby is not HIV positive, he will go to an orphanage. But if he is HIV positive, he will most likely stay at the hospital.